The following is an interview with Rantz Hoseley regarding the recent Kickstarter campaign launch for the California-themed horror comic book anthology, California Screaming: Horror in the Golden State. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Hoseley about the shared creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, the backer rewards that will be available through the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the Kickstarter campaign launch for California Screaming: Horror in the Golden State! What can you share with us about the overall premise of the collection?
Rantz Hoseley: Well, I worked with Leonie going back when I was managing Editor at Heavy Metal, and really loved the sensibilities she brings to storytelling, so when she asked if I’d be interested, and told me it was a horror anthology set in California, created by California artists and writers, I thought that was a great idea, and that it would probably be filled with some interesting takes, that would hopefully push expectations a bit! Looking at the line-up, it feels like old-home week… there’s a lot of comic creators I’ve worked with in these pages!
BD: As a contributor to the collection, what can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with Roy Burdine to bring the story to life on the page?
RH: Roy and I met when we were both going to Otis Parsons back in 1986… At the time, it was next to MacArthur Park, and it was a… sketchy… neighborhood. There was a guy who had his stomach ripped open on the dormitory steps, another time there was a body lying in the middle of the sidewalk as we walked to class. There was a lot of gang activity in the area, a lot of drugs, and also just general depravity packed into that area where there were all these beautiful, old buildings from the 1920s heyday of Hollywood, that had now gone to rack and ruin. So… for me… the ‘dream’ of life in California has always had a dark current running under the surface of it. I didn’t have to dig very hard to come up with a take that I felt was rooted in an authentic kind of horror that people experience. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)
BD: Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators and publishers?
RH: Well, speaking as a someone who works for a publisher in my day job, margins are so narrow in comics now, and putting resources and money towards a comic or graphic novel is a gamble… Is the main distributor going to unexpectedly go out of business? Is the publisher going to fold owing creators tens of millions of dollars? Kickstarter isn’t a replacement for a vital and healthy comic market, but it is good to have alternative channels to bolster both funding and distribution.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel that your story may connect with and impact readers?
RH: I talk about this subject a lot in the times we find ourselves in… I’m not a lawyer, or a scientist, or a politician, so I can’t effect change in the world in a direct manner, but… and I know this may be an act of self-delusion to keep myself sane… I believe that stories not only can create change but that they can create longer lasting change, because it occurs internally as an emotional and intellectual reaction to a narrative that impacts you and makes you think about something in a different way. It’s the classic role of genre entertainment, especially horror. To take on social issues via a metaphor that allows people to examine things like injustice without getting their hackles up because they feel attacked. Ideally… it’s done with nuance and grace, with the primary emphasis on the immersive power of the story.
As to how our story connects or impacts readers? Well, there’s intention to it, but it’s spoiling the magic and effectiveness to talk about it before anyone has read it.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to share with our readers?
RH: I’m very happy with the work I’ve done on previous projects, but honestly… I’m at this stage of my creative career… making comics professionally for forty years… that I throw everything into the making. I love the process of pushing on every story to make it be better than the last thing I worked on, and the second it’s gone to the printer, my focus is on to the next thing I’m working on. There’s a couple things we’re working on at Z2 that will be revealed around SDCC, and I’m loving working on those. I get out of bed each morning stoked to make something amazing. But I also know that, by the time I get the printed copies back, my emotional engagement has moved on to the current things.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about the California Screaming: Horror in the Golden State campaign and your other work?
RH: With the collapse of Diamond, it is a HARD time to be an indie comic creator, or to try and put books out independently. Hell, it’s brutal for large comic publishers these days. The only way this art form stays alive and vital and interesting is if fans support comics that fall outside of the pre-defined boxes, characters and IPs. So, come along the ride with us. We promise, it’ll be entertaining.
